About this project

$10,275

pledged of $10,000 goal

92

backers

OUR PROJECT

We are honored and thrilled that Albany Records, a
major American label, will be internationally releasing, promoting and
distributing our All-American debut album, which will feature works by living
American composers:

- The very passionate, emotional,
and powerful Sifting through the ruins, written in the immediate
aftermath of the tragedies of 9/11, by Grammy award-winning and Peabody
medal-recipient composer Libby Larsen,
in which she so masterfully encapsulates the conflicting emotions of anger,
sorrow, despair, helplessness, hope, longing, and resilience, pervasive to the
post 9/11 era.

- Erotica
by SUNY Fredonia composition faculty Dr. Rob Deemer, a setting
of raw and funny erotic poems, which tackle the universality,
appeal, and absurdities of sex, and allow for Romantic
sweeps, virtuosic flourishes, jazz stings, cabaret zings, and many other
styles. This was commissioned by the Chiaroscuro Trio and written
especially for us.

- We have also commissioned Graham Reynolds,
celebrated and eclectic film composer and alternative classical music
trailblazer, to bring his savvy, irony, and evocative language to the fore,
with his child-friendly spin on Lewis Carroll’s Jabberwocky.

- And finally, Front Porch Poems by Plymouth
State University in New Hampshire
composition faculty Jonathan Santore, whose contemplative quality and
irresistible tango about a singer falling for a violist resonates on a very
personal level with my wife, Elizabeth, the contralto of the Chiaroscuro trio,
and myself.

We
want this music to be heard. We want it to move others as it has moved us. We
are enthralled by the aesthetics of the works that we have chosen to feature on
our CD: they are eclectic, passionate, lyrical, surprising, relevant and
appealing. We are inspired by the powerful, pertinent, and personal voices of
their composers, and we believe in the historical, cultural, and poetic
significance of the texts they have set to music.

We think that the wide range of styles of these
works helps to illuminate our interest in engaging a wider array of listeners,
as well as to demonstrate the large scope of what “classical music”
encompasses. We believe that the works and composers featured on this CD
capture this vision by reflecting a diverse array of musical styles and
experiences. We hope that this CD will encourage others to program,
perform, teach and study those works, and that it will inspire new compositions
as well.

WHY WE NEED YOU

We have been signed by a major label, but we need to
raise $10,000 to fund the production, rehearsal, recording, and post-production
costs of the CD, as well as our two commissions.

We are well-aware that this economy has affected
most of us, and that there are many global issues and other artistic ventures
that would benefit from your backing and support. Yet, as family,
friends, colleagues, and audience members, you believe in the power of art to
bring us together, move us, inspire us, and rekindle our spirit.

You have heard us perform, you have discovered
and embraced new works, you have been touched by this glorious music; the
complicity and friendship that the musicians of the Chiaroscuro Trio exude have
brought you comfort and solace, and offered you non-stuffy, and welcoming
concert experiences.

Your contribution will not only finance music, it
will provide you with a time and space traveling machine, a hurricane of
emotions, mental health benefits, an alternative to routine, new memories, and
the feeling that you are part of something unique and special. What is all that
worth to you?

FAQ

Have a question?
If the info above doesn't help, you can ask the project creator directly.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $1,000 or more
About $1,000

- Post CD-release party VIP dinner with the Chiaroscuro.
- Framed signed CD and personalized commemorative plate.
- Donor name included in the CD booklet.
- Two tickets to the Chiaroscuro CD release party.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $5,000 or more
About $5,000

- House concert by the Chiaroscuro Trio
- Framed autographed score of "Erotica" by Rob Deemer, or "Jabberwocky" Graham Reynolds.
- Framed signed CD and personalized commemorative plate.
- Post CD-release party VIP dinner with the Chiaroscuro.
- Donor name included in the CD booklet.
- Two tickets to the Chiaroscuro CD release party.